Brian O'Neill retires as IIHS president

O'Neill's career spanned more than 35 years of setting the highway safety agenda.

Brian O'Neill arrived in the United States from England in 1966. After joining the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety three years later, he was a founder of the affiliated Highway Loss Data Institute in 1972 and became president of both organizations in 1985. During his tenure, O'Neill directed hundreds of research projects, wrote dozens of scientific papers, and co-authored The Injury Fact Book. He also served on the boards and committees of numerous national and international safety groups.

O'Neill recently has been helping to lead a voluntary effort among auto manufacturers to reduce incompatibilities among passenger vehicles in crashes. He is lead author of studies indicating the benefits of improving compatibility in front-to-front crashes between cars and SUVs or pickup trucks.

Among O'Neill's major contributions was envisioning and developing the Institute's Vehicle Research Center, a state-of-the-art facility for research and testing that opened in 1992 in central Virginia. Directed by O'Neill, the work conducted at this facility has expanded the Institute's influence worldwide. The crash test programs have contributed directly to more crashworthy vehicles. Lives have been saved because of O'Neill's leadership and enduring vision.